SO, are we convinced yet?
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We’re now up to four reports over the past two decades that have pondered the vexed question of just what to do with the contentious intersection of Suttor, Mitre and Lambert streets at West Bathurst.
Four reports over the past two decades have considered whether a roundabout should be installed to improve traffic and pedestrian safety, whether traffic lights might a better solution or whether we would be better served just doing nothing at all.
And all four have returned a variation of the same conclusion: Build a roundabout.
The latest report, by independent consultants Traffic Matters, has been at once the most conclusive supporter of a roundabout and also the least conclusive.
Because while the Traffic Matters report has delighted those councillors and residents who have been pushing for a roundabout by categorically rejecting the idea of installing traffic lights instead, it also offered the advice that the intersection could function at a reasonable level for the next 20 years without doing anything at all.
But too much time, energy and discussion has been invested in this topic now for anyone to seriously suggest we shelve it for another 20 years.
What must happen now is that we must see this roundabout finally become a reality.
Council has already set aside $1.7 million to fund an upgrade at the intersection and the consultants from Traffic Matters have made it clear exactly what form that upgrade should take.
They came to the same conclusion that council’s own engineers had reached three times previously and that should now be enough to convince all councillors.
Anything less than unanimous support for a roundabout now could only be seen as a lack of faith in the findings of those reports, and a lack of confidence in both council’s engineers and the independent consultant. And that would be unacceptable from our elected representatives.
If an onlooker wanted to be kind, they might argue that the delays so far in this 20-year saga could be put down to a desire to ensure the decision, once made, was the right one.
But now the decision is clear we can waste no more time waiting for action.
The most ambitious timeframe has the roundabout open in time for the 2019 school year. It won’t be easy, but let’s keep that as the target.